Terry has great touch, vision and calmness

As unpopular as he may be in some quarters, Jose Mourinho may yet turn out to be an ?English? hero if three of the players the Chelsea manager has nurtured through to world-class status this season play their part in helping England win the World Cup next year.

While the Premiership leaders account for half of the six nominations for the Professional Footballers? Association?s (PFA) Player of the Year award, one of the aforementioned English trio is not among them, although had his fellow-professionals been privy to the kind of form he is threatening to show right through to the end of the season he might have been.

I am talking, of course, about Joe Cole. The nominations for the PFA award used to have to be made in January because it was judged over a calendar year, unlike its Football Writers? Association (FWA) counterpart that was voted for over a season. It probably explains the many discrepancies in the outcome of the two awards over the years.

The FWA still have the benefit of a later deadline, but it is unlikely the decision at which they arrive will be much different from that of the players at the end of this week, which is that the award is a straight fight between the Chelsea captain John Terry and his teammate and England colleague Frank Lampard.

But for injury Arjen Robben might have been in there disputing too. As it is the Dutchman is included ? with Wayne Rooney ? among the six nominations for the Young Player of the Year award. Personally, I would have thrown young Rooney in with the big boys; after all, he?s been taking it to them all season.

Claudio Ranieri, the former Chelsea manager, may have signed Lampard ? as well as Cole ? but there is no doubt about the progress that all three have made under the Portuguese this season. Mourinho has done English football a great service but the fact that he relies on them so heavily has nothing to do with appeasing his public, which only makes their achievements amid a team of international stars all the sweeter.

Lampard has made himself a fixture at the international level

One of the great things about Terry and Lampard is that they are leaders and such force of character shines through at international level. Lampard has made himself a fixture there and Terry is certain to follow suit.

An outstanding servant he has been, but Sol Campbell may find it hard to reclaim his England place from Terry. While the Arsenal player may still have the advantage of pace over Terry, I think the Chelsea man?s greater football ability will see him keep the job for the German finals. He is more of a born leader and certain, I would say, to captain his country in time. Terry has great touch, vision and calmness and would get my vote, marginally ahead of Lampard.

As well as doing their respective jobs in defence and midfield, both have also weighed in with goals, particularly Lampard. In fact, I have never seen a midfield player who wants to score as much as he does.

What with Steven Gerrard, of Liverpool, and Andy Johnson, of Crystal Palace, also among the six nominees and four of the six for the Young Player of the Year award English too, it augurs well for the national team. It also gives lie to the theory put forward some years ago when foreigners were first flooding into our game that it would kill the national team. I maintained then, as I do now, that real talent will always shine.

Thierry Henry, Arsenal?s French striker, is again deservedly included among the nominations for the senior award, while the foreign contingent is completed by Petr Cech.

It could be a mistake to discount Liverpool against Chelsea in their Champions League semi-final. One only has to cast one?s mind back to last year when the passage of the then runaway Premiership leaders Arsenal through to the semi-finals seemed assured. We will see then whether Liverpool are a worse team with Gerrard in it, as some have foolishly suggested, or, as I fancy, a better one with him and Xabi Alonso.